A Sheffield manufacturing firm is to be prosecuted over the death of a worker at a factory.

John Townsend, aged 64, of Ashleigh Avenue, Gleadless, had worked as a maintenance engineer at Chesterfield Special Cylinders Limited near Meadowhall for several years before the fatal incident happened on June 10 2015.

It add that a “preliminary court hearing has been set for March 6 2019” and “it is not possible to determine what the outcome of this court hearing will be and, given the nature of the sentencing guidelines, nor is it possible to determine with any certainty what, if any, financial penalties might be levied on CSC.

“The company continues to take legal advice on this matter and will provide further updates."

In a separate statement, the firm added: “The company takes the health and safety of its employees very seriously and has co-operated fully with the HSE throughout its investigation of the incident.

“Given that this is an active legal process, we are unable to comment or provide any further details at this time.”